Diving near Nukuʻalofa, Tonga in mid November?

[jdevic]

I booked a 3N stay in Nukuʻalofa mid November as part of my 10 day escapade to NZ, Tonga and Fiji.
I know the whale swimming season is over and I have no time to visit Vava'u. Is there any good diving from Nuku'alofa?

i found a company on tripadvisor offering 1 day diving trip to Tongatapu Outer Reef or Eua Island (cave). Fairly pricy I'd say for 2 tank dives. Are they worth it? Any recommendations?
Rates

Also, what is the chance to stumble upon some whales at these two locations in mid november?

Thanks a lot!

 

[FindingMenno]

AFAIK there is not much diving done from Nuku'alofa. When I was there I did some research but came up mostly empty handed. I was led to believe that the best diving nearby is around Eua island, but it is a bit of a drive out

Some tips for Nuku'alofa: Friends Cafe, Reload bar, Billfish, Nauti Ruby's. Highlight for me was to catch a boat to Big Mama's Yacht club on Pangaimotu for a lazy Sunday. A half day tour on the island to see the caves, blowholes and local 'stonehenge' is also a nice thing to do.

You say you are limited in time, but if you can, take a flight to Ha'apai and go to Matafonua Lodge. One of my favorite spots I've ever been.

November is very much at the end of the whale season but you might be lucky...

 

[atmospherediver]

I booked a 3N stay in Nukuʻalofa mid November as part of my 10 day escapade to NZ, Tonga and Fiji.
I know the whale swimming season is over and I have no time to visit Vava'u. Is there any good diving from Nuku'alofa?

i found a company on tripadvisor offering 1 day diving trip to Tongatapu Outer Reef or Eua Island (cave). Fairly pricy I'd say for 2 tank dives. Are they worth it? Any recommendations?
Rates

Also, what is the chance to stumble upon some whales at these two locations in mid november?

Thanks a lot!

Chance of Whales are slim as the season ends 3rd week of October. Deep Blue and Whale Swim Dive are the LDS. I shore dive off American Wharf mostly tethered Bottle Collecting. I rent AL80's for TOP40, fills cost TOP25.
I video finds and send my Nautilus to the surface for a GPS Position. Pangaiamotu Island has a wreck to 12m with Trumpet Fish being prolific. Both of these dives are tide dependent. Check with bom.gov.au . Duff Reef is seldom dived, I am still waiting. Eua Island has the best diving, barge(2 1/2hrs) or boat (1 1/4hrs), stay at Ovova Tree Lodge (Deep Blue) that has a dive shop and boat. Cathedral Cave on the north end is a spectacular dive but weather dependent. There a lots of drift and reef dives in the lee of the island. No diving on Sundays. Give me a ring on my Tongan number 8889448 if you need a buddy as boats need a minimum. Currently in AUS for 2 weeks. Ha'api Islands in the central group also has great diving from Matafanau Lodge, diving daily except Sundays. cheers R

 

[jdevic]

Thank you both for the detailed recommendations! I will check them out!